Suunto MC-2 Mirror Compass Review

There are a few key features a good compass for outdoor life should have. But surprisingly there are very few compasses which has all of these.

These are some necessary features to look for when buying one:

• A dial with degrees as well as orienting lines for taking out a compass bearing.
• Scales and rulers for measuring distances on the map.
• A mirror, which you use to walk in exactly the direction the needle is pointing. This mirror obviously has many other advantages, like when you are applying your contact lenses or signaling in an emergency.
• Adjustable declination correction. This is where most compasses fail. Magnetic declination is created because the magnetic north and the geographical north are not in the exact same location. Some maps have declination lines to make up for this misgiving. But far from all of them. If you have a compass with adjustable declination correction you can use any map, anywhere in the world and it will still give you correct directions.
• A bonus is a Clinometer. Far from all compasses have this, but you can use it to measure the degree of a slope. For example to avoid a potential avalance. Or just to calculate the height of a tree or check if your table is level.
• Finally a robust construction is very important. You don't want it to break while you're out and you definitely don't want to buy a new one after only a year of using it. Which happened to me a few times before I got the Suunto MC-2 Mirror Compass.

Choosing which compass you should get can be quite confusing. They are named things like Suunto MC-2/360/IN/D/NH. Those abbreviations doesn't tell you much right? I spent DAYS trying to figure out what all the abbreviations seen on different compasses meant. But do not fear, I finally got in contact with Suuntos customer support and they sent me a list of all the abbreviations.

360 Degrees
Q Quadrant
6400 Mils (Instead of 360 degrees the compass has 6400 "degrees".)
6000 Finnish mils
CM Metric map scales on baseplate
IN Imperial map scales on baseplate
CM/IN Combination of metric and imperial scales, one might be just a ruler while the other may include map scales.
L Luminescent markings on protractor (also other products may have luminescent details or parts)
D Adjustable declination correction setting
NH Balanced for the northern hemisphere
SH Balanced for the southern hemisphere
G Globally balanced, works anywhere in the world. This is unique for Suunto/Recta. the compass card stay reasonably flat in the inhabited part of the world. Without G means the compass was balanced for one of five balancing zones and thus works properly only in the geographical zone it was built for.
R A secondary reversed scale. The main directional scale tells the direction from you towards a target and the secondary tells the direction from a target towards yourself.
MC Mirror compass

So now we have that sorted out, let me tell you a bit about the actual compass and why I think it's the best one out there.

Problems I've had with my previous compasses include liquid leakage, which forms a bubble inside the compass. And the metal wire ring on the back of the compass falling out and not staying in place. The most serious thing though that happened was when the poles reverted on my compass. North became south and vise versa. It took me a while to realize and I managed to get lost quite bad. These are things which really should not be allowed to happen.

But since getting the Suunto MC-2 I haven't had any such problems. It's worked flawlessly and the construction feels very rigid. Everything from the dials to the lid construction feels like it will last for many years.

It has many different scales, both metric and imperial and even scales for height curves. There is also a small magnifying glass for looking at details in the map or nature.

The dial has very good grip for easy rotation and the markings are luminescent to be usable in the dark.

A good example of how much thought they put into this design we can take a look at the notch below the dial used to keep the lid closed. Because it also functions as a way to double-check the bearing by lifting the compass to eye-level and looking though it.

The mirror is clear and has a center line through the middle, used when following a bearing. At the bottom of the mirror there's a small hole. This can be used if you need to use the mirror for signaling. And it also functions as a window so you can use the compass even while it's closed.

This compass has a third needle, this is the Clinometer. You use it by first turning the dial so west is up, then tilt the compass to the left and look along the upper side of the compass on the thing you are measuring the angle to. Take a look at the scale inside the ring to see how many degrees there is from you to the top of the object. If you know the distance to the top you can calculate the height.

Now let's flip the compass around and take a look at the real treasure here. The compass ships with a small metal tool (which can be attached to the compass string). This can be used to turn a screw on the backside of the compass. By turning it you can adjust the magnetic declination lines. It's a solid structure which allows for very precise adjustments.

Finally there is the balancing of the compass. Because the earth is round (or is it?) the needles want to either go up and hit the top of the compass or down and hit the bottom depending on where on the earth you are. This creates friction which stops the needle from moving freely. Even if you are in the right hemisphere for the compass it won't function if you tilt it too much. This applies to every compass out there. Or rather, it used to apply to every compass out there. But Suunto has invented special needles which keep distance even if the compass is tilted. This makes them usable anywhere in the world. So when you buy a compass you can choose if you want one balanced for the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere, or a globally balanced compass. The global one is a little bit more expensive but except that there are only benefits of having it.

I would love to hear what you think down in the comments.

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